Hello,
It's confession time. I write my posts in advance of when I post, obviously. I tend to aim for the weekend, but this weekend got away from me. I intended to write this post on Monday night, but the wheels fell off due to some adolescent child issues (I won't name which one because it could have been any of them, really).
By any means, I thought I'd tap into some of my older Letters that I wrote before I started blogging and shared with former co-workers. Many of the Letters made me smile because of the responses from my co-workers who I haven't worked with in so long. Many made me smile because of the collections to the work we were doing. Others made me smile because they mentioned my kids. Which brings me to this one that I wrote in February 2015 when my kids were 4, 6, and 8. I hope it makes you smile too!
February 26, 2015
If you noticed that I wasn’t in today it was because I was at a funeral for [my husband] Howard’s grandma. She lived a long and happy life, so there is peace in that. It’s times like this, however that make us reflective on our own lives and grateful for everyday gifts.
According to the Journal of Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being (March 2011), research shows that according to seven types of evidence “high subjective well-being (such as life satisfaction, absence of negative emotions, optimism, and positive emotions) causes better health and longevity." In other words, not only do we enjoy life more when we have a positive outlook on life, but we live longer, healthier lives. As you have heard me say before, your outlook (or paradigm) is chosen—you elect how you respond to your circumstances.
This week I’m wondering what is one thing that you’re grateful for? Like most of us, I am grateful for my family. Last night I was eating dinner and while I was eating I noticed that on the ketchup bottle it said, “How do you Happy.” Heinz is having a contest where you could win $5700 for telling them what makes you happy. I told that to Nolan and Lilia and they got excited.
Me: You could win $5700 in a contest for saying what makes you happy.
Nolan and Lilia: What?!
Nolan: Yeah!! Yeah!!!
Me: You could win $5700 in a contest for saying what makes you happy.
Lilia: That money would make me happy.
Nolan: Me too!
Me: Do you want to know what makes me happy?
Nolan and Lilia: What?
Me: My family. You guys make me happy. I love spending time with you as a family.
Nolan: We could tell them that and then we could each have $1700.
Me: What?
Nolan: No. I mean we could each have….ummm…18 er I mean 17 um…57…
Me: Are you trying to divide the money between us?
Nolan: Yeah. We’d each have like $1300 or like $1700. (With a big, innocent grin) I may have done that math wrong.
With that in mind, I'd love to know what makes YOU happy? I don't have $5700 to give away, but I hope that the happiness is all the payment you need!
~Heather
P.S. This week's Catch of the Week comes from Pamela Hall, a multi national award-winning educator, is a speaker and author who’s dedicated to helping educators consciously connect with and grow all learners. She encourages educators to embrace self-care and stay STRONG. Her EduMatch Publishing book about amplifying all students’ potential through culture, community, and being STRONG will be released in 2021. It’s packed with doable strategies and relatable stories. Connect with Pamela at https://www.pamhall2inspire.com/ and https://twitter.com/pamhall2inspire
Here’s her catch...Being mindful and taking care of yourself is more important than ever. The Headspace App is a fantastic tool to guide you to calm in the midst of chaos. One of Pamela’s colleague’s informed her that her favorite feature of the App was that it only took 10 minutes. Headspace states, “Meditation has been shown to help people stress less, focus more and even sleep better. Headspace is meditation made simple. We'll teach you the life-changing skills of meditation and mindfulness in just a few minutes a day.” In addition, their website has meditation for kids, meditation for work, sleep, stress, anxiety, and focus. When you need to catch your breath, give Headspace a try as it guides you to being calm and peaceful in minutes.
P.P.S. Please remember to...
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